Zhou An, the Kitchen Helper

Yu Hang spoke with vivid emotion, gesturing nonstop and even making sound effects as he mimed swinging a blade.

What choice did he have? What else could he do?

If he wanted to keep it hidden, he could only mix truth with lies.

He told the truth about what had happened, but lied about the mysterious man's identity.

That was the best way to conceal it.

Division Magistrate Zhang and Head Constable Xie exchanged a glance, falling silent.

They did not suspect Yu Hang.

Yu Hang was a native of An Ding County, and his background was spotless—so spotless that a casual investigation would reveal everything clearly.

Someone so clean could not possibly have crossed paths with a mysterious expert.

Besides, Yu Hang had only one childhood friend: Zhou An.

As for Zhou An... he was even more straightforward.

"A mysterious expert appearing in a small place like An Ding County must have some ulterior motive," Division Magistrate Zhang said. "But before that, we need to deal with the Gray Rat Worshipers."

There were priorities.

The Gray Rat Worshipers had already killed two people. They had to be dealt with first.

As for the mysterious expert, that could wait.

After all, they did not yet know whether he was friend or foe. They could not provoke him rashly.

"My lord, do we have a lead?" Head Constable Xie asked.

Division Magistrate Zhang nodded. "This Beast Cult has appeared before. I'll go back and look through the intelligence. Perhaps we can break through the current deadlock."

With that, Division Magistrate Zhang turned his gaze toward Yu Hang.

Yu Hang had been listening with his ears perked up, getting more engrossed by the moment. When Division Magistrate Zhang's gaze swept over him, he immediately straightened up and pretended he had heard nothing.

"Since they have their eyes on you, you cannot go back. It would be too dangerous. Stay at the yamen for the next few days. With Head Constable Xie here, you should be safe," Division Magistrate Zhang said.

Yu Hang nodded rapidly.

His good brother was absurdly strong, but his good brother did not want to expose his identity, so Yu Hang could not possibly return home.

By normal logic, if he did not know the mysterious expert's identity, staying here was the right choice.

Yu Hang could only follow that logic.

"Get some rest first," Head Constable Xie said. "I'll be staying at the yamen these next few days as well. We'll see if we can wait for the rabbit by the tree stump."

There was nothing else to discuss after that.

Yu Hang was assigned a room and settled in.

Division Magistrate Zhang left the yamen alone in a mysterious manner.

The next day.

After getting up and washing up, Zhou An ate breakfast at a street stall and leisurely prepared to head to the county yamen to slack off.

It was as though nothing had happened the night before.

When Zhou An entered the yamen, he happened to run into Yu Hang. The two exchanged a glance and understood what the other meant.

Zhou An went to his usual slacking-off room, poured himself a cup of tea, and slowly took a few sips before getting up, strapping on his long saber, and heading out.

He had thought about it for a long time yesterday. Two hours every night was simply too short.

If he wanted to ensure enough rest while keeping his job as a constable, he had to find a solution elsewhere.

Rest was essential. In a world like this, he needed to stay mentally alert.

And his job as a constable represented the authorities. At times, it might produce unexpected benefits.

So Zhou An decided to find a balance between the two.

He could slack off while working, and practice his Knife Skills while slacking off.

Zhou An left the room and headed straight for another building.

The moment he pushed open the door, the scent of food greeted him.

This was the yamen kitchen, where the constables could eat.

Those who did not eat here could receive a monthly subsidy instead.

Great Chu treated its officials well, even lowly constables like them.

Zhou An usually did not eat here, so he could collect a little extra silver every month.

As he pushed open the door, he saw the cook busy at the stove.

The cook was an old man in his sixties, with graying hair and a thin frame, but his eyes were bright.

It was said that many people had applied for the job, yet the old man had ultimately been chosen.

There was no other reason. The large-pot dishes he made were simply too delicious.

They were hiring someone to work in the kitchen, after all. Tasty food was the ultimate principle.

"Old Liu, still busy?" Zhou An asked with a smile.

Chef Liu was washing vegetables. Hearing this, he gave Zhou An a strange look. "What brings you here?"

As the kitchen cook, he knew exactly who came to eat and who did not. Zhou An had never eaten here before.

Now that he had suddenly shown up, Chef Liu found it very strange.

"I wanted to discuss something with you."

Zhou An walked over, casually pulled up a small stool, and sat across from Chef Liu.

"Didn't you ask the County Magistrate some time ago to have constables who aren't patrolling the streets come help with cooking? What do you think of me?"

Not long ago, Chef Liu had often complained to the county magistrate that he had to chop vegetables, wash vegetables, cook, and rinse rice all by himself. He could barely manage it.

The county magistrate had then thought of picking people from among the constables who were not assigned to street patrols and having them come help in the kitchen whenever they were free.

Of course, they would not be helping for nothing. They could eat one free lunch here every day.

But after the proposal was made, not a single person came. One lunch was not worth much, and they would still have to work.

Those fellows had grown accustomed to slacking off. Getting them to help in the kitchen was harder than killing them.

Zhou An was different. After thinking it over yesterday, he decided to use this method.

Whenever he was free, he could come help in the kitchen. While helping, he could chop vegetables on the side. Wouldn't that improve his Knife Skills?

And it was perfectly legitimate, while also letting him keep his job as a constable.

Perfect!

"Didn't you refuse before? You wouldn't even eat here," Chef Liu said, frowning in confusion.

Zhou An said mysteriously, "Old Liu, do you think things have been peaceful lately?"

Chef Liu thought for a moment and shook his head. "Not peaceful. Everyone's panicking. Rats can worship people now, and they even hollow out people's organs. I'd say this is pretty troublesome."

"Exactly," Zhou An said. "In troubled times, what matters most? Money! We need to hurry and save up. Every little bit counts."

"But you can't save much..." Chef Liu said helplessly. "It's only one meal."

Zhou An said seriously, "You can't put it that way. Every little bit counts. Money is saved bit by bit."

Chef Liu fell silent. After a while, he said, "Then you have to promise me that you'll stick with this. As long as you aren't patrolling the streets or working a case, you must come help in the kitchen."

"Absolutely." Zhou An patted his chest in assurance.

Chef Liu temporarily believed him and said he would immediately notify the county magistrate to make it official.

Zhou An said nothing more. After thanking him a few times, he returned to his slacking-off room and continued drinking tea.